Family-School Liaison

The Family-School Liaison connects students of Grain Valley Schools and their families with the appropriate community and regional resources to meet basic needs and address issues which impact school performance.

The Family-School Liaison functions as a school staff member, working within the school to address the non-academic needs of students who are at-risk of school failure. Research has shown that when children lack basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and caring adults in their lives, they are at a higher risk of academic failure leading to school dropout. A student’s need could appear as falling asleep in class, arriving late to school, bullying someone or being bullied, not completing homework, or many other behaviors. After receiving a referral, the Family-School Liaison works with the student and family to determine the underlying issues, which may include hunger, need for clothing or health care, coping with homelessness, domestic violence, new immigrants, second language barriers, or other factors interfering with the child’s ability to learn and succeed in school.

The Process

The process of working with a student and family varies depending on the needs of the family and level of self-sufficiency. Support may include referrals to services such as, mentoring, food and clothing banks, health services, housing, transportation, second language resources, holiday assistance, etc.

The Goal

Our goal is to support the well-being of each child and to ensure each has every opportunity to be in school and succeed. Grain Valley Schools provides these services free of charge to the students and families in order to improve the each student’s educational experience and to assure they stay in school and graduate